Formula E team owner to commercialise wireless energy technology »

Tim Biesbrouck May 24, 2014 Drayson Racing Formula E Team, FIA Formula E Championship
Lord Drayson is on a mission. Former UK’s Minister of Science has launched a new venture that will seek to commercialise wireless energy technology which has been developed over a number of years at Imperial Collage London.

The new venture is part of Drayson Technologies, known for its development of the wirelessly-charged all-electric Drayson B12/69 race car that set a new FIA World Electric Land Speed Record in 2013 and its team in the FIA Formula E Championship. It was just a matter of time until Lord Drayson’s would develop a new business in the field of wireless charging technologies.

“Over recent years we have seen a revolution in the way wireless technology has transformed communications, making smartphones and social media part of our everyday lives”, Paul Drayson, Chariman & CEO of Drayson Technologies knows. “The same is about to happen to energy and Drayson Wireless aims to be at the centre of this next revolution.”

The Drayson Wireless near-field systems can transfer up to 1.5 kW over a distance of up to 0.5 m using a lightweight receiver weighing less than 0.3 g/W. In addition, Drayson Wireless long distance power transfer system can transfer up to 10 mW at distances up to 5 m. The systems operate at high efficiencies (over 80% end-to-end efficiency), while operating through variable vertical offsets, separation distances and angular misalignments.

The business is based upon research conducted over several years by scientists from the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering at Imperial College. The Imperial team is led by Dr Paul Mitcheson, Dr Stepan Lucyszyn and Dr David Yates. In particular PhD research by Dr Manuel Pinuela is central to the venture and as such Dr Pinuela becomes Chief Technology Officer. In addition, Lord Drayson has brought together an experienced team with senior-level experience from companies such as Qualcomm (also partner of Formula E), PowderJect and Circassia, with backgrounds in building global businesses in wireless technology and life sciences.